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Answerman

Never Send a Man to do a Woman's Job

Sep 3rd 2002

Welcome back Ms. Answerman this week.

I saw a trailer for the Gundam movie Endless Waltz... one of the mechs had wings. Escaflowne had characters that could sprout angel like wings at will.... Angelic Layer had "angels" that had wings... The 3rd DVD cover of Amazing Nurse Nanako hwisas the main character with angel wings... (Same with the cover for the Ah! Oh My Godess! movie) whats up with all these angel like wings in anime?

They look cool. Seriously. Wings are a trend in character design right now and the Japanese are no slouches when it comes to keeping on top of design style. Angel Sanctuary, Oh My Goddess!, and many other titles use wings to not only enhance character design but add a little visual flair and mythic personality to the characters. I personally really dig the whole “wings” thing, as Ms. Answerman can attest to. Judging from her tastes, though, she likes dog boys and dudes with fangs, so she can't talk.

Inuyasha rocks though!! And give the show time...I'm sure someone will sprout wings in that show too. X is also another one with a lot of wings and feathers...but it probably does because they're beautiful and attract angel fanboys like Mr. Answerman...

Hey Answer guy,
I was recently in LA at an anime shop and was talking to the owner about evangelion and the up coming US release of the two movies, we were both very excited, then he told me that he had heard that a NEW eva movie had been completed and possibly released in Japan...I said "no way, are you sure you aren't talking about the original movies that are coming to the US" and he said he was pretty sure at which time a patron chimed in saying the same thing that he was pretty sure a new movie was either under way or being released in Japan.
Oh please say it's true answer guy!
Matt from Chicago

Oh boy! This again! Everyone remember this rumor from a year or so ago? There was a very convincing piece of artwork circulated around the net about a year ago that people latched themselves on to as absolute proof that there was a new EVA movie in production. There were several clues on the poster that hinted as to its true nature, but people ignored that and moved on ahead anyway. It was a fraud, and I suppose it still circulates in small nests of ill-informed fanboys who have nothing better to do than sit in IRC chatrooms and perpetuate old rumors. Ignore it.

I saw the poster as well, and though it was beautiful, the flaws are noticable if you look for them. Sorry to get your hopes up...

How many Episodes is Witch Hunter Robin? i know it hasent finished its run yet.
How Many Volumes in the Beserk Manga? i have 21 so far. is it still running?
and finnaly is there any Saikano manga?

Sincerly Cyrax777

Witch Hunter Robin is, I believe, 13 episodes long. It's still playing on TV in Japan (And as far as I can tell, they haven't quite figured out where to take the series yet. Here's hoping it picks up before the end.) There are currently 22 volumes in the Berserk manga. It's still running. The author won a big award for his work last year and he deserves it. Berserk remains one of the most beautiful and disturbing manga series available. The Saikano manga is 4 volumes long and the TV series is still running, although they seem to be struggling to keep the story going.

Witch Hunter Robin is worth seeing, even if at the moment all it seems to have going for it is character development. Berserk is WONDERFUL...and I've read all of the manga and own a lot of it myself, and am looking forward to seeing a lot more of it come out. I haven't seen as much of SaiKano as Mr. Answerman has, but the first episode was really interesting. It'd be worth going out to check the manga as well...

Dear Answerman,

I was cruzing around Gonzo's web site (even though I can't read or speak Japanese) and i -wish you were here- caught my eye. What is i -wish you were here-? Will it be licensed? is it already licensed? Thank you very-very much!

-Queenie

i ~wish you were here~ was a short-lived 16 episode series that Gonzo distributed via their website (and I believe it aired on satellite TV for a short time. Get it? Short time? I kill me.) It has indeed been licensed by ADV Films and will probably be out on DVD sometime next year, and probably all on one DVD. The plot concerns a meteorite that smashes into the earth. The rock happens to contain extraterrestrial life that attacks humans and mutates them in to deadly monster things. There's a group called NOA that combats the mutants using a special DNA manipulation technique that allows them to have armored skin. Naturally, the mutants evolve, and somehow it all rests on the shoulders of a cute 16 year old girl. That's Gonzo for you. Watch Full Metal Panic! instead, if you're looking for high-rent Gonzo action.

Would have to agree with Full Metal Panic!...it's a very humorous show and has tons of action and violence to satisfy anyone's likes. Gonzo's also done Hellsing, which is worth seeing as well.

Quick question that I haven't seen u answer in the past.
Are there any plans to release an OVA of Blade of the Immortal?
Thanx AM
Armitage

No. The manga-ka has stated in the past that he didn't think the manga could be done justice in animated form. I think he's right. From what I've seen of Blade of the Immortal, there's no way to accurately animate that artwork. It's better on the printed page.

I don't even know where to begin on Blade of the Immortal...I've been reading it since it was first released translated over here, and I've been hooked since. The artwork is incredible, the fight scenes are intense, the characters are complex and diverse and great to watch...the plot is solid with so many side plots that only add to the manga...the only thing that's bad about it is moments of VERY intense and graphic scenes that equal if not go beyond Berserk. It'd be hard to do this manga justice in an anime but...if you've ever read Legend of Basara, you'd think the same thing. They were still able to pull off a great anime from that manga (even if they never finished the series).

Hey Answerman,
I've been reading your column and I like hearing what Ms. Answerman has to say. Question, what are your favorite and least favorite series? What series do you like and whch ones does she? Do you disagree on anything?

Thanks a lot,
ArisunoMiko1938

Oh boy, mindless self-indulgence. Okay, my favorite series are pretty simple. I like Berserk a lot, despite the ending. It's a challenging, dark show that asks a lot of the viewer. It's a guilty pleasure, but I'm a big One Piece fan. Yeah, it gets dumb later on, but it's the type of long-running, unpretentious shonen action I find myself enjoying despite how goofy it is. Of course, there's Revolutionary Girl Utena, which is a complete masterwork and should be seen by anyone with a remote interest in film metaphor and allegory. More recently, I've enjoyed Hellsing, although it derails completely at the end and the animation quality ruins my personal enjoyment of several of the episodes. I'm also enjoying Saishuuheiki Kanojo, simply because of the raw emotion they're able to express through the deceptively simple characters. Witch Hunter Robin and Full Metal Panic! are also excellent series, and should be huge when they're released here. As for garbage, well, the list goes on and on. WeiB Kreuz has to be one of my most hated series. It's pointless, the animation is horrible, the characters are weak and poorly designed, the same damn thing happens in every episode, and it pretends to be an action show when really it's just fangirl cheesecake. Yuck. Ai Yori Aoshi and Love Hina are also on my list of shows that need to be erased from public consciousness. I absolutely despise the shonen harem-style romantic comedy. The world does not need another Tenchi-style character who's surrounded by large-breasted, bitchy women who all hate the fact that they're in lust with a complete and total bland loser. I think that's about it for now.

Favorite anime...Inuyasha is up there, though I mostly enjoy the relationship between Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha (brother brother relationship that is), Berserk, Witch Hunter Robin, Bakuretsu (Sorcerer) Hunters, Hellsing, Rurouni Kenshin...mostly things that involve a lot of character development, and violence is always a plus (especially with cool weapons, such as Weiss Kreuz, which Mr. Answerman hates). Things I don't care for are the one guy/five girl shows (Love Hina, Tenchi, etc)...then again, I really don't care to watch a bunch of members of one sex beat up on a single member of the opposite sex...it gets old after the first 5 minutes...also not a big fan of mecha. I don't quite understand why Mr. Answerman likes One Piece (it's ok but nothing super).

Guys like violence and cool weapons when they're well-drawn and don't look like they've been animated by a 2nd grade elementary school art class.

And girls like pirates just as much as guys do so don't even give me that 'chicks don't get pirates'...I don't get eating a fruit and becoming Mr.Rubberband man...*hits him over the head cause well...she's right and he's not*

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